Defend Us in Battle
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
John 15:13
This Wednesday, November 11, our nation pauses to honor the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. As a Catholic school community, we see Veterans Day as more than a day off on the calendar. It is a chance to teach our children gratitude, to pray for those who have served, and to reflect on what it means to give of ourselves for others. Many of our own families, as well as school staff, include veterans. Moreover, we have several parents from our St. Michael’s School community who are currently deployed around the globe, and we especially keep them and their families close in prayer at this time.
Veterans Day began as Armistice Day. During World War I, the fighting stopped at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. The following year the nation marked that date to remember the cost of war and to give thanks for peace. In 1954, after World War II and the Korean War, Congress renamed this holiday Veterans Day to honor veterans of every conflict.
Gratitude for our veterans and prayer for an end to war belong together. The Church teaches that those who serve in the military, when they carry out their duties honorably, contribute to the common good and to the keeping of peace (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2310). At the same time, we also pray for peace, particularly for the current conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.
November 11 is also the feast of St. Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier who famously cut his military cloak in half to share it with a freezing beggar. For this reason, St. Martin is considered a patron saint of soldiers. Our own patron, St. Michael, is also known throughout Catholic tradition as protector, defender, and leader in spiritual battle. Because military service often involves courage, sacrifice, danger, and duty, many Catholics look to St. Michael as a heavenly patron for those who serve.
Children learn virtue by seeing it in real people. Veterans Day gives them living examples of courage, duty, perseverance, and putting others first. It also teaches gratitude. When a child learns that someone gave years of their life, their health, or their life itself, so that others could live in safety and freedom, “thank you” takes on a new meaning. It also plants the seed of service and the understanding that every one of us is called to use our gifts for the good of others, whether in uniform, in our classrooms, in our parish, or in our family. Finally, this holiday can connect children to their own history. A conversation with Grandpa about his years in the Marine Corps, or a neighbor’s memories of a deployment, can teach more than any textbook.
This week, I encourage you to speak with your children about Veterans Day. If there is a veteran in your family, talk to them about their service. You might also have your children write a thank-you note or say thank you in person if you see someone wearing a uniform. On Wednesday, at 11:00 AM, pause for a minute and pray the prayer to St. Michael (see below) for our veterans, living and deceased, who served their country so selflessly. Finally, fly the American flag at home, and teach your children how to treat it with respect.
Our veterans have lived out a willingness to sacrifice for others, often far from home and family. To every veteran in our school community, we thank you. Your service, your sacrifice, and the sacrifices of your families have not gone unnoticed. Each morning, our students and staff pray the Prayer to St. Michael for your protection, and for those of you still in harm’s way, may God keep you safe and bring you home soon. May Christ’s peace be with you always.
Deo Gratias, Kathy
Prayer to St. Michael
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle;
be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do though, O prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits
who prowl around the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
